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ON OUR MINDS
Brought to you this week by Ilena Parker, who can’t stop looking at Fat Bear Week’s slider photos of healthy bears getting their bodies ready for hibernation.
Code Red, Blah, Blah, Blah
Greta Thunberg called out world leaders for empty promises on climate action at the Youth4Climate summit in Milan on Tuesday. “Blah, blah, blah... This is all we hear from our so-called leaders. Words that sound great but so far have not led to action.” One month away from the COP26 summit in Glasgow, calls for action are heating up as countries prepare to gather for what may be our last chance to avoid climate crisis of a scale that a major UN scientific report recently called “code red for humanity.” Leading up to the summit, China and the U.S. both announced major moves to limit emissions and deliver aid to developing nations. Still, there is not a lot of optimism about the odds that leaders will deliver on the summit’s goals to half global emissions this decade. But with alarm bells ringing everywhere—including the news this week that 23 endangered species in the U.S. are now extinct—momentum is growing to hold leaders accountable for action beyond the pledges they make in the month leading up to Glasgow.
Leaning In and Burning Out
The new annual Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey and Lean In raises the alarm about another looming crisis—The Great Resignation. One-third of women surveyed said they were considering quitting their jobs or reducing their hours. It’s no surprise that women are burned out after bearing the brunt of childcare during the pandemic, but the study points to a few other factors behind the troubling trend of a generation of women pulling away from paid work: women are more taxed by emotional labor at work, are twice as likely to spend time on DEI efforts that aren’t part of their formal job duties, and deal with constant microaggressions. The report is packed with recommendations for how companies can help address the causes of burnout (flex time, boundaries, well-being, duh). It also turned up the volume on calls for better childcare and paid leave policy, and for men to step up and do their part.
Free to Read
It’s Banned Books Week, and this year the American Library Association is speaking out against a rising number of demands to remove books that address racism and racial justice or share the stories of Black, Indigenous, or people of color from library and school bookshelves. After students in Central York School District in York, Pennsylvania spent weeks protesting their all-white school board’s list of banned books, the board voted to overturn its ban on more than 250 books, documentaries, and articles about race, racism, anti-racism, diversity, and equality. While we celebrate our victories and the freedom to read, it’s important to remember what a dangerous moment we’re in. As Nikole Hannah-Jones said: “This is actually trying to control the collective memory of this country. And trying to say we just want to purge uncomfortable truths from our collective memory.”
ON OUR RADAR
Learn:
- “White replacement theory” is the latest racist delusion to go mainstream in right-wing politics and media.
- Ben & Jerry’s breaks down why Texas’s anti-abortion law is racist and must be overturned.
- The mental health internet is good for some people and terrible for others, but treating mental illness like a TikTok hashtag has far-reaching consequences.
Read:
- R. Kelly’s conviction may be a sign the tide is turning for Black women and girls, but survivors had to fight hard to have their stories heard.
- The Instagram for Kids project is on pause after the WSJ published internal Facebook research that led to a series of Senate hearings and a massive outcry from parents.
- Young people are streaming The Sopranos in record numbers because they see something that resonates in the banal, declining version of America it depicts.
Cheer:
- Alyson Shontell starts as the new editor in chief of Fortune next week, which makes her the first woman to lead the 92-year-old business magazine.
- McP client Seven Starling launched a new digital platform and membership program that supports parents from pregnancy to parenthood. As the latest innovation in a booming parent tech market, Seven Starling is increasing access to doula care in a supportive group setting.
- Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, delivers a stunning speech to spur the UN into action on climate change and vaccine equity: “In the words of Robert Nesta Marley, who will get up and stand up for the rights of our people?"
- Britney is free!
Listen:
- “Because of Anita”—a new four-part podcast series coming October 4—traces the ripple effects of Anita Hill’s testimony in the 1991 Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings. The series includes a powerful conversation between Professor Hill and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.
- Monica Lewinsky talks about her mental state during the worst moments of her life with David Axelrod on CNN’s “The Axe Files” podcast.
- 10x Bolder: The New Leadership Playbook from The B Team includes a podcast series that explores how leaders align values with influence.
Watch:
- At The Atlantic Festival, Tulaine Montgomery, Co-CEO of McP client New Profit, shared insights on impact investing for racial equity.
- The Daily Show shares some consequences of climate change you may not know about, like more female turtles, worse-tasting coffee and wine, and space junk.
- Lil Nas X covered “Jolene,” and Dolly approves.
Apply:
- We are hiring! We’re looking for an Account Director, Account Executive and Operations Manager to join the growing McP crew.
- + POOL, a water-filtering, floating pool that makes it possible for New Yorkers to swim in our rivers, is looking for a Development Director.
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